Achievement unlocked: rolls

My department has a Thanksgiving lunch most years. This year, I signed up to bring rolls.

Not just any rolls. Homemade rolls.

So I got the Anadama bread recipe my mother has used for years (actually, since before I was born) and decided to give it a try. I tried Anadama bread once before but I wasn't as adept at bread-baking then, and I added too much flour (the dough is just slightly sticky when it's "right") and they came out dense and heavy.

So I decided to do them last night rather than today (the lunch is Thursday) to leave myself wiggle room to make another batch (or another kind of bread) if they failed.

No, they turned out this time. (Again: greater experience helps).



The full recipe makes 33, 2" or so rolls. I decided to do all rolls because I could take all of them over in case we get a big crowd (we invite some of the support staff, like the nice lady in Print Shop).

I did have to sample one to be sure they were okay.



(Pretty much, though I overbuttered the pan and they got a little "done" on the bottom. Also I forgot to cut the temperature by 25 degrees, which you normally do for glass pans. Oh well. They are still okay)

Anyway, the recipe. This comes from - as my mom indicated on the page she wrote out - the April 14, 1968 Morgantown (W. Va) Dominion-Post.

3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. salt (we use 1. I think they're better with 2, but, reduced sodium....)
2 cups water
1/2 cup light molasses (Grandma's or Brer Rabbit but not the blackstrap kind)
3 Tbs butter
1 package dry yeast (or "one cake compressed yeast." Do they still make that?)
1/4 cup lukewarm water
5 1/2 to 6 cups all purpose flour

Mix the 2 cups water and salt in a large saucepan. Stir in the cornmeal, and while stirring continuously, bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add the molasses and butter. Let cool (stir to mix, make sure butter is melted).

As that cools, proof the yeast - 2 1/4 tsp (or a package) in 1/4 cup lukewarm water. (I add a pinch of sugar to get the yeast going).

When the cornmeal mixture has cooled, add 1 cup flour and the yeast mixture. Stir. Add flour gradually until it forms a soft dough (will pull away from the sides of the bowl or pan). Turn out on breadboard and continue to add flour as you knead for 10 minutes. (The original recipe says 5, but 10 gives a better result). The batch I did last night took about 5 3/4 cups. It will depend a lot on the humidity of the day and how dry your flour is. You kind of need to have a feel for it - the dough won't be horribly sticky but neither will the surface be perfectly dry and "satiny" like some breads.

Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover, let rise until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours). Punch down. Shape, put in greased pans (this amount will make 2 decent-sized loaves - either round "country" loaves, or loaves in a standard loaf pan. Or it will make a lot of rolls). Let bread rise again until almost double, about 1 hour. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes (less for rolls). Check after 15-20 minutes; it is usually necessary to put a piece of aluminum foil over the top to prevent the top crust from overbrowning before the bread is done. The bread will sound "hollow" when you tap the top if it is done.

Let cool before cutting. This is a bread that tears easily if cut while still too warm.